In prior art computer networks, communications may be directed through a proxy server that is operable to act as an intermediary and to process requests from client devices that are seeking resources from other servers. For example, a client device may connect to a proxy server and submit a request for a network resource. The network resource that is requested may be a file, a service, a connection, a web page, or any other suitable network resource that is available from a resource server. A proxy server may provide a network resource to a client device by connecting to a relevant resource server and requesting the network resource on behalf of the client device. Generally such prior art proxy servers are static proxy servers. Prior art servers also generally require users to provide their own software and to configure such software themselves.
Some prior art proxy servers may store network resources. Such proxy servers may serve requests to client devices in response to some or all of the client requests without contacting the specified resource server. Some prior art proxy servers may also alter a request received from a client device and/or a response received from a resource server. For example, a proxy server may anonymize network communications of a client device before forwarding the request to a resource server.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0154135 discloses a system, method and apparatus wherein a query is directed to a proxy server rather than a public server enabled as a gateway for software downloads. This invention is directed to installing software at a mobile electronic device so that approved software can be selected for installation on the mobile electronic device. This invention is not directed to a system or method operable to automatically identify aspects of a user's network environment and details of the servers in said network and to set-up and configure software to be utilized by a user without user input of details of the user's network environment.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0125833 discloses methods and preprocessing proxy server in a communication system that can support modes of web browser operation and enable a user selectively to bypass or enable the proxy server's translation of requested web content. The decision as to whether a translation is to be performed is undertaken by a proxy server in the network. This invention is directed to translation and not to the subject matter of the present invention.